Existing home energy control and automation technology, or other premises monitor and control, was architected to operate relatively independently of other devices or technology. For example, such premises monitor devices are not designed to offload or share processing loads, share data storage, or otherwise interact with other systems or devices for which such might be beneficial. Likewise, conventional devices are not architected to take advantage of being part of a remote access networked system. As a result, most such devices have limited feature sets and/or high costs for the features that do exist.
For example, conventional thermostats or other premises monitor and control devices often rely upon legacy technology or outdated paradigms. As a result, programming or accessing these devices can be difficult and particularly counterintuitive to users who are much more familiar with modern paradigms and designs. Because these conventional devices are generally quite difficult to use, potential benefits, even if they exist, go unimplemented. For example, understanding the features and abilities of the thermostat can lead to energy-cost savings opportunities, can avoid unnecessary waste of natural resources, as well as other advantages. Unfortunately, most users do not have sufficient understanding of their thermostat(s) or other premises monitor and control devices to leverage such advantages. Generally, this situation exists because conventional devices do not provide adequate features, convenience, and/or accessibility.